Baze Is Ablaze at Pomona

Jockey Tyler Baze was saying last week that he wished the Los Angeles County Fair’s race meet in Pomona would never end.

After Saturday, Baze could only repeat that thought. Less than a month shy of his 20th birthday, he won five races, including the $100,000 stake, to move past Martin Pedroza, the perennial leader, in the standings.

Baze’s five-bagger was climaxed by wins in the day’s last three races, the middle one a victory aboard Last Kiss, a maiden, in the Barretts Debutante Stakes. David Flores, who had two six-win days in 1992, holds the Fairplex record.

Pedroza, the leading Pomona rider for the last three years, rode four winners at Fairplex on Thursday, but he had only one win Saturday as Baze took a 16-13 lead. The 17-day meet, with eight days to go, ends a week from today.

The Eclipse Award winner for best national apprentice in 2000, Baze rode nine times Saturday. His other mounts finished second, third, fourth and fifth. He won the fifth and eighth races before taking the 10th, 11th and 12th. Two of his winners were favorites.

“I wish this meet would run all year long,� he said the other day. “I wouldn’t have to ride against Laffit Pincay, Alex Solis and Pat Valenzuela. When they ride, they get the favorites in every race, while I’m trying to get the 10-1 shots to run. Here I get to ride some of the favorites, and it’s more fun.�

The top riders on the Southern California circuit generally take off during the Pomona meet. Baze has already won five more races than he did during the seven-week Del Mar meet that ended Sept. 11. He finished 11th in the Del Mar standings.

Pedroza, who has won a record 335 races at Fairplex, beat Baze by a 29-24 margin last year.

“That’s the second time I’ve been second here,� Baze said. “I had to make an adjustment the first year I rode here, because this track is three-eighths of a mile shorter than the mile tracks I’m used to riding on.�

Trainer Bill Spawr usually tosses much of his business Pincay’s way, but at Pomona he’s been regularly using Baze. Pincay rode Last Kiss twice at Del Mar, for fourth- and second-place finishes, before Baze took over Saturday.

“Bill told me she had been breaking slow in her first two races,� Baze said. “He told me to just send her out of there. We got through on the rail on the backside. I never stopped riding after that.�

Last Kiss, a $17,000 purchase at the Barretts May sale of unraced 2-year-olds at Pomona, finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Sky’s Snow and 9-10 favorite Ionia, who dead-heated for second place. Last Kiss, running 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:18 1/5, paid $13.80 to win.

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Baze’s cousin, Russell Baze, had a hard-luck day in Northern California when Dance Dreamer, the 7-10 favorite, broke poorly and couldn’t get clear in the stretch before finishing fourth in the five-horse Bay Meadows Handicap.

Baze said Dance Dreamer would have won with a better trip. As it was, they were beaten by about one length. David Copperfield won the $200,000 race by a neck over Ninebanks, with Little Ghazi running third. David Copperfield paid $7, $4.40 and $11.

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Catching a weak field, Essence Of Dubai beat Walk In The Snow, a 30-1 shot, by 3 1/2 lengths in the $500,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.... At Belmont Park, Bonapaw beat Aldebaran by 2 1/2 lengths in the $300,000 Vosburgh.